Nicky Henderson admits Sunday's John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase didn't exactly unfold as he hoped when it comes to his own horse Jango Baie's Ladbrokes King George VI Chase prospects.
Last season's Arkle hero made a sparkling return to action in Saturday's 1965 Ascot Chase to book his Kempton ticket, something Gaelic Warrior did himself when edging out Fact To File after an epic duel 24 hours later.
Henderson told Monday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast: "I thought it (John Durkan) was the most amazing race. They’re two tough horses but they’ve had a race, that’s for sure.
"I think Jango Baie had a slightly calmer baptism to the season than they did. But they put up some performance and it was a two-horse race from a very long way out
"It’s a bit like the other day. We waltzed home form Exeter thinking Lulamba was going to have a lovely time, switch the telly on and find Kopek Des Bordes and you were feeling happy for a couple of hours them you think, hmmm, this isn’t going to be quite so straightforward is it?!
“Like with Jango, you think we’ve got a bloody good chance in the King George here then you watch the other two and think – oh heck.
“There’s Ben’s horse (The Jukebox Man) too. It looked a weekend of King George trials by the look if it."
And Henderson is confident Jango Baie is going to appreciate going up in trip on Boxing Day.
“He’s a very nice horse, he’s not blisteringly brilliant in the mornings, but shows you more in the afternoon and we always like them that way around," he added.
“The Arkle was an extraordinary performance and you have to be a good horse to do what he did, to make up that amount of ground. There is speed in there but it takes a little time to kick in and he has shown he has a a turn of foot.
“The lovely thing about Saturday was the way he quickened all the way to the line. That was strong.”
So could the road to the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup open up to Jango Baie?
“I wouldn’t know.
"The King George is the obvious place to go next, the timing is good, and he looks ready to go to here miles. He got away with it over two last year but is obviously a strong stayer. And if he gets three miles well around Kempton then you’ve opened up another door haven’t you? But it’s one step at a time," his trainer added.
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